


For Hearth and Home

by companioncube41



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Chapter 13, Discussion of homes, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda, Mentioned Noctis, Mentioned Prompto, They get better at the end, gralea, heart to heart, true bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-30 09:21:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12105609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/companioncube41/pseuds/companioncube41
Summary: While wandering the streets of Gralea Ignis and Gladio come to a realization. They aren't going back home when this is over. Doleful at by this revelation Iggy asks Gladio what they are fighting for? And Gladio tells him. A conversation I imagined the two having after playing chapter 13.





	For Hearth and Home

After wandering the streets of Gralea for what felt like hours, Gladio found a fenced off area that he assumed would be relatively clear of the demons that seemed to have over taken the city. Having just been separated from Noctis they had no choice but to press on to the main keep and hope that they would find their prince there eventually. Making their way through the demon infested streets would have been one thing, but to do so without the ability to summon their weapons? When Gladio recommended they take a quick breather as this spot was as good as any, Ignis didn’t object. 

Stopping to get their bearings Gladio took in the sights of the city. He had always imagined what the capital of Niflheim would look like and now that he saw it, he almost felt bad for the Nif bastards he had been at war with. Ignis had asked him to describe the place but there just wasn’t much to see. Just black skyscrapers and concrete walls devoid of any decoration as far as the eye could see. Metal fencing, pipes that jutted out from the walls, and all of the garbage and building rumble that filled the streets were the only thing that broke up the monotony of the place. Gladio had to wonder to just what extent the demons were responsible for the current state of the city. Enemies or no, this was no place to make a life and Gladio couldn’t believe that the Niflheim top brass would inflict this upon its own people. 

Wondering what the place would look like if king Regis had been put in charge of this place, Gladio was stirred from his musing by Ignis fidgeting to himself from where he was seated. The royal advisor had always been a hard man to read. Now even more so that his eyes were covered by those big black glasses. But it was clear to anyone looking at the man right now that something had him really shaken. He looked like he was about to break down.

“Something you wanna tell me Iggy? We should be safe here for at least a few minutes and I’m not sure when we will get another chance to talk”. 

“Hm? Oh, sorry. No nothing’s wrong. I’m completely…No. I am not alright. I…If I talk for a moment would you listen?”

Pulling up a crate Gladio sat himself down wondering what it was that had Ignis so visibly shaken. Well, aside from literally everything else that was happening at the moment. 

“I have always been a person who likes structure in his life as I am sure you are well aware of. I have always liked to have things planned out in advance. I have always preferred to live by a routine were things don’t change much and one knows what to expect.”

Gladio knew this. It was surprising that this man who was about the same age as himself preferred to live life like an old man in a nursing home with a schedule and no major surprises. Gladio had once thought about stealing his friend’s day planner as a joke when they were growing up but immediately decided against it. He reasonably assumed that if he somehow went through with the prank his friend would put so many knives in him that he would turn into a giant cactuar. 

“Being a person who thrives upon structure, you can imagine then how taxing this whole venture has been for me. I have never really been out of the crown city before. So when we are going from town to town, form location to location, to new places everyday with so many unknown variables and no idea what to expect for the day following. You can see how that has left me mentally and emotionally exhausted then?”

“Dang Iggy. This is the first I’ve ever heard of it. You’ve never shown signs of it warring at you before.”

“And I have the lot of you to thank for that. If it wasn’t for the three of you and your calming, if not somewhat frustrating presence, to give me a sense of normalcy I probably would have broken down ages ago. But there were points on the journey when that was not enough. What helped me when it all got too much and when I couldn’t sleep at night was thinking about when we get home.”

This thought surprised Gladio at first. Mostly because he had never even considered what happened when they went back to Insomnia. Living in the moment as he did he hadn’t really thought about what it would mean when the journey came to an end and what that would entitle. And it was at this Gladio suspected Ignis was arriving upon his main point.

“While the boys had their mobile games and you had your romantic novels, whenever I had free time I needed to kill I thought about rebuilding the crown city. The reconstruction plans, finding the people places to live, the meeting I needed to set up for Noct and the officials I needed to introduce him too, it was all of these things I would fantasize about and plan out in my head for when the journey was over. The empire left us a mighty blow yes but nothing we couldn’t come back from. Anything that was broken we could fix. Anything we couldn’t fix we would simply mourn. Even when we saw the smoke from the imperial airships attacks it never really felt like the empire could do us any damage we couldn’t recover from. But now, with everything that has happened. It has taken me a while but I have had this feeling in the back of my mind ever since that fiasco in Altissia that my conscious thoughts have only now realized. We aren’t ever going home, are we Gladio? 

At first Gladio wanted to argue that of course they could still go home after they were done here. But right as he was about to say the words, he found that he couldn’t. It was then that he realized that some part of his mind also knew that they would never come home again. He couldn’t explain how but on some level he knew that they would never be able to go back to the life they had once had. Ignis was just quicker in figuring it out. Gods it was a horrible thing to realize the home they were fighting for was gone forever. But it was far more terrible to hear Ignis admit it. 

“I… I think you are right Ignis. I don’t know how or why but I think your right. We aren’t gonna be able to come home when this is all over”. 

At this it was like the last support holding Ignis up had fallen over. The man slumped over and held his head in his hands. “What are we fighting for Gladio? Our king is dead. Our country is broken. The oracle is dead. What are we doing in this forsaken place?”

Hearing Ignis say this sent a dagger right through the shields heart. As much as he wanted to give up here and now, he knew now was not the time for such melancholy. What Iggy needed now was structure and strength. Placing his hands on the advisors shoulders Gladio stated to the man with a firm voice “We are fighting for home and Hearth.”

“What, the old Kings Glaive motto? That is why we are doing this? To avenge our fallen home? We aren’t even sure the crystal will be able to repel the demons much less restore everything we have lost.”

At this Gladio reaffirm his grasp. “To hell with our old home and to hell with the crystal Iggy. Those aren’t what I am talking about at all. What I’m talking about is Noctis and Prompto. They are the only hearth and home we have left and we are theirs.” At this Ignis didn’t seem to grasp the full meaning of Gladios words so he put it another way. “Think of it like this Iggy. Let us pretend that the roles had been switched and it was you that was stranded in this goblin asshole of a city. Do you think Noctis and Prompto would hesitate for one moment to come and save you?” 

This question had taken Ignis off guard. “I... No. I suppose they wouldn’t hesitate to save me. Knowing them, they would probably go in full guns blazing to rescue me. Wouldn’t stop to think about it either. Noctis would come in armiger summoned, a force of nature in and of himself, and Prompto would be a mini fireworks show ripping through the streets. And they would most likely end up on the completely other side of the city. Oh astrals preserve them. Their hearts would be in the right place but they would be so lost without us.” This thought seemed to give Ignis a chuckle. And then his face visibly changed as a realization hit him. “By the astrals. Gladio! The boys are completely useless without us. Without me acting as chauffer it will be a miracle if Noct finds the keep were the crystal is being held let alone getting there with all of these demons about. And Prompto! Oh he has probably been in this place all alone. And we promised him we would never abandon him after that one time he got separated from us in Lestalum and we found him crying. Gladio. We have to go and save Noctis and Prompto!”

Ignis appeared to get his old fire back. Seeing the dramatic change between the Ignis that he was now and the Ignis he was a few minutes ago put a smile on Gladios face. This was his Ignis. The Ignis that wouldn’t let anything, be it the cruel whim of the fates or the loss of his primary sensory functions, keep him from doing his job. “Glad to finally have you back with us Ignis. For a second there I thought you had gone some where I couldn’t bring you back from. Then we’d really be screwed.”

“Oh pshaw. There will be plenty of time to mope later but right now our brothers need us. Gladio, we have no idea where we are but it shouldn’t be too hard to make it to the main keep so long as we continue to walk towards the biggest eyesore in this place. One would almost be glad to be deprived of one’s eye sight. Sorry Gladio but you must endure for the sake of our mission. You just lead us there and I shall listen for any signs of life. By some miracle we might find his highness on our way. But if not at the very least I should be able to warn us about incoming demon ambushes. Well? What are you doing still sitting around Gladio? We are wasting precious time. Hop to, hop to! 

At that Gladio got to his feet with a smile on his face. The energy Ignis was radiating now was intoxicating. He could almost believe that they actually had a chance of pulling this off and saving everyone. Oh what was he thinking? Of course there was a chance. Now that Ignis had found his spark again he would make this mission work out through sheer force of will alone. “Your right Iggy. We got to major pains in the ass to save. For Hearth and Home.”


End file.
